Cigar Box Ukuleles

Cigar box ukuleles may seem like a cobble together, homemade affair, but they have a venerable history and an expensive present.

Samual Kamaka made some high quality cigar box ukuleles. There have even been rumors that Leonardo Nunes’s first uke was a cigar box uke (although John King said it was unlikely and I bow to his vastly superior knowledge).

The tradition of high quality cigar box ukuleles continues today, particularly with Black Bear Ukuleles who produced a number of unusual and interesting cigar box ukes.

On Video

On eBay

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How to Build a Cigar Box Ukulele

If you’re looking to build a cigar box ukulele, there are a few guides knocking around on the net. There’s a guide here (pdf) courtesy of Cigar Box Guitars who also have videos and other resources useful to anyone building a cigar box uke. There’s also a more academic article here (pdf).